This incident was enough to make Mercedes quit the French 24 hour endurance race for good, with the brand’s president at the time vowing never to return to Le Mans.
But what if Mercedes reconsiders its self-imposed Le Mans ban? Well, should the unthinkable happen, this is the car that they could be racing: the DTW.
Imagined by French digital designer Martin Chatelier (without any involvement from Mercedes themselves, so don’t call this a comeback), the fully-electric DTW features some amazing tech plucked straight out of science fiction.
The biggest eyebrow-raiser is its 3D-printed tyres that can be produced on the move. Rather than put into the pits to replenish the car’s tyres, small 3D printers behind each wheel spray gum onto the withering wheels, essentially topping up the rubber for another few laps.
It doesn’t have an engine either, instead it is driven by two electric motors charged by a Tesla Turbine – forgotten technology originally patented by Nikola Tesla in 1913 – using compressed air stored in two high-capacity tanks in the racer’s flanks.
The DTW’s weight is minimised with the body shell being 100 per cent graphene, a super-light substance that’s between 100-300 times stronger than steel and a million times thinner than human hair. The substance can also be made transparent so the driver has amazing panoramic visibility and superb safety.
It also has what is called ‘active aerodynamics’, which is used to refill those aforementioned tanks with air, and as an airbrake. That means when braking, four active panels open to create a land anchor which forces air into intakes.
Monsieur Chatelier says: “The Mercedes-Benz DTW is a combination of technologies destined to win the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2030. Everything has been done to ensure the show and the victory of the silver arrows.”
Check back in 2030 to find out if Martin was right…
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